Sweet and Sour Pollen
by New.York.Celt
Summary: I thought this would be a simple way of life: living free in the woods with no one but the animals to keep me company. Then HE had to come along, make me love him, turn into some monster, and mess it all up. Can't freaking believe it... Once-ler/OC
1. A Poem

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><p>I honestly don't know what I was supposed to suspect.<p>

It all started on a bright note,

The barbaloots in their fuzzy coats

And the swomee swans chose to neglect

The day's silence with their song.

And the humming fish sang in their little ponds.

I was doing the usual, hiding in my tent made of recycled truffula trees.

When a guy named Once-ler, came upon me.

He was tall, and thin, wearing silly stripped jeans,

And wore a hat on his head, bright grey-blue eyes keen.

It started off nice, him the forest's creatures and I.

Then something happen-I still don't truly understand why.

Once-ler had an idea, some ridiculous idea about something called a Thneed,

And how it was something everyone would need.

He did it when I had my backed turned,

He chopped down a tree without one single word.

I was shocked and appalled, how could he do such a thing?

Before I could berate him, there was a sound..a kind of a _ping._

The sky quickly darkened, clouds coming fast.

Once-ler didn't notice, focused on his task.

Lightning struck, the wind picked up,

And suddenly..there was..a little orange puff.

Coming out of the tree stump!

I swear that it's true!

What happened after that...

Well...

I guess I'll start again and fully explain to you..


	2. A Home

I wanna thank my lovely reviewers: Giai Kame and teiaramogami

Your guy's support really means a lot to me (: You guys are just great!

~Also, since this movie is still in theaters, the dialog and some of the story won't be spot on.  
>...Unless I find a way to get the dialog and the story...;D<p>

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><p>I sighed, my bare feet scraping up against the dirt road as I walked. I swear I've been walking for almost two weeks, and I haven't found anywhere to root down for awhile. The last place I was able to settle down at was the base of Mount Crumpit, and it was pretty freaking cold there. Not to mention that strange green man that kept trying to invite me to the all year round Christmas celebration that was going on down in Whoville.<p>

I trudged on anyway, thankful for the warmer climate. All I owned was either on me, or stuffed in my backpack. My teal tank top and blue jeans weren't enough to cut off the shaking wind of Mount Crumpit, but thankfully that old Mountain was warmer during these spring seasons. I had a light brown jacket and a pair of beaten slip on moccasins, all my clothes were covered in dirt and grime. My hygiene wasn't too great either. Hopefully I can find myself a stream or something to wash off in.

A strange humming made me pick my head up and look around where I was actually going. I'd been traveling on this road for so long that I've settled on staring at my feet rather than at the scenery. There wasn't much to look at since I left the general area of Whoville, and had to walk through the old Butter Battle War fields.

Shock ran through me as I gazed around where I was.

Grass, lucious green grass and these beautiful trees speckled the landscape, the fluff at the tops of the trees were shimmering shades of orange, red, yellow and pink. Plum like fruit dangled from tiny branches hidden inside the tuft. Lush bushes dotted the landscape, berries growing bountifully on their enlarged ferns. There was a large, winding river that wove through the trees and large, rolling hills and mountains creating a small, safe valley. I smiled, stepping off the dusty road and onto the soothing grass. I sighed as the grass prickled against my battered feet, wiping away some of the dust and dried blood.

Plopping down beside a small flock of sapling truffula trees, I sighed once more and laid down on my side. The cool grass felt so great against my blistered skin, and I couldn't help but nuzzle the soft ground. A small squeak made me jerk up, my eye level was set with a pair of chocolate orbs.

"What the heck!" I yelped, bouncing back to get a better look at whatever had frightened me. A small bear, a barbaloot, just like the kind that I'd played with in the Jungle of Nool. I smiled, crossing my legs and trying not to scare the poor bear off.

"Hey.." I said softly, watching the chubby barbaloot twitch a little, and then take a step closer. The bear was taller and chubbier than normal, but he was really cute. I slowly reached my hand out, palm flat, so the bear could take a sniff. His little black nose twitched as he smelled my hand, but he quickly smiled and sat down before me.

"You live here?" I asked, not expecting an answer. Surprisingly, the little bear nodded!

"Oh, you understand me!" I was shocked. Sure, I knew barbaloots were intelligent, but only a rare few were supposedly able to understand humans. The bear looked sheepish and nodded, scratching the back of his furry head.

"I'm Letitia, you can call me Let. Are there more of you?" I smiled, reaching into my ratty backpack and pulling out some pop-tarts. The bear nodded, keeping his eyes on my snack. Cautiously, I snapped the pastry in half, handing it to the bear. He shouted, grabbing the tart and shoving it in his mouth with a love-sick look in his eyes.

"Wow, you must love junk food." I laughed, scratching the bear's ears. He seemed to be sleepy now, his eyes drooping and he crawled into my lap. I cringed as all of his weight settled on my crossed legs, but I couldn't say no to that face..

"What's your name?" I whispered, scratching his back. He yawned, puckered his lips and make a_ pop_ noise.

"Pop, that's your name?" I asked, leaning my back against one of the trees for support. Pop hummed a yes, and slowly began to snore. I smiled, feeling exhausted myself, and closed my eyes.

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><p>I think what woke me up was Pop re-adjusting himself on my lap. I yawned, groaning as I felt a numbness in my legs, a strange stuffy feeling in my nose, and a slight burning sensation in my throat.<p>

"Don't tell me I got sick from the weather at Mount Crumpit.." I moaned, feeling the burning in my throat spike. I managed to get my eyes opened, and I yelped a little at the group of cute little creatures before me. There were at least 20 barbaloots, at least 10 swomee swans, and about 15 beautiful, orange humming fish.

"H-hi. Uh..Pop..you might want to wake up.." I whispered to the still slumbering bear as the group of woodland creatures bared their teeth at me.

"I'm not here to hurt you guys..I just need somewhere to stay.." I whispered, watching sharp teeth glisten in the sunshine. Pop yawned, flicking his fuzzy tail and shaking himself awake. He yelped, jumping to his feet and positioning himself in front of me. With a few quick growls and squeaks, the creatures calmed down, and approached me happily.

The barbaloots began sniffing me, and playfully tugging at my mid-back length hair. I laughed, feeling some of the swomee swans try to tickle me with their feathers. The humming fish began singing, their voices an acapella that was the most beautiful thing I've ever heard. Pop smiled, his big brown eyes lit up with joy.

"Thanks for saving me Pop. You're a bear of bravery." I said, giving the chunky bear a hug. He sighed, hugging me back and quickly rushed off with some of his bear friends. I winced as I felt something prod at the bottom of my beaten feet. I looked down to see a small group of worried humming fish, their gentle fins patting my feet.

"Oh, they're fine, just torn up from walking everywhere without shoes. I think those two jackass Zax stole them when I fell asleep by their pass." I grumbled, stretching out in the grass. A few of my bones cracked, making the swans and fish cringe a little. They bid me goodbye, and went onto their daily schedule. Pop came scurrying from no where, and was hurriedly pointing me towards something.

"What is it Pop?" I asked, letting him take my hand and drag me over into the deeper part of the forest. I gasped when we stopped, a small tent made out of old, fallen tree trunks was all set up. It was a small, one room log cabin, with only an opening for a door, no windows, and a roof made out of dried truffula tuft.

"T-this is for me?" I asked as all the animals around me quickly nodded. I sniffled, feeling my eyes start to tear up. No one I've ever met has gone out of their way to do anything like this, and it made a strange, warm sensation in my heart.

"T-thank you guys..This is just..thank you. I'm practically speechless." I said, letting Pop tug me into the small room. How long have they been out of my sight? 20 minutes? That makes sense, a group of small bears made me a cute little shelter in about 20 minutes.

You wanna know what..I'm just going to accept it, and not ask questions.

I sat down on the floor of the room, which was grass and dirt, still warmed by the sun. I threw my bag down, and stretched my legs out.

"Thanks again Pop. Oh..who's this?" I asked, seeing a pair of amber eyes peering around the opening of my new home. Pop chirped, and started waving the much smaller bear over. The barbaloot must have been a baby, he was so small and sweet looking! His big, amber eyes watched me curiously, and then he let out a little _'pip_' before jumping onto my lap.

"Pip? Your name's are Pip and Pop?" I laughed, hugging the small bear. Pip nodded, jumping off my lap with a wiggle and running towards a small pile of truffula fruits. Taking a big bite, Pip got covered in juice, but ignored the stickiness and kept on munching. Pop squeaked, rushing over to the pile of fruits and practically leaped into the giant pile. I laughed, leaning against the sturdy wall of my new home.

This place..this valley seems so much nicer than all the other places I've settled down in. The life of a single nomad isn't too easy, ya know. I'm always looking for the next place to graze, the next place to call home for a short period of time. It's got it's pros and it's cons. I've met alot of amazing people on my journey, and made a lot of unforgettable friends.

But...There's really no place to call home.

I had one of those once. A Home. Filled with too many people who were all to busy with 'mine, mine, mine'. It just wasn't a healthy atmosphere, so many people supposedly loved you, but not one truly did. I knew I had to get out of their quick like a bunny. I steamed through high school, all while doing college classes, and finally graduated college in only two years so I could get away from home so quickly. I graduated when I was 16, and I've been roaming the world for the past two years.

I think about home sometimes..but not too often. I miss the pretty grey-blue shade the walls of my tiny room were..the soft brown carpet that I'd dance around on. I missed some of my brothers and sisters, but not all of them. I didn't think about mom, but I did miss my dad a good amount.

I don't miss the chaos though, and the dirtiness of the town I grew up in. It was polluted, and over crowded, with flashing neon signs and smog-thick air. I love breathing the fresh air that's outside that old town, and I don't think I could go back to huffing in those toxins.

I glanced around once more, seeing the bright blue sky, healthy animals and plants. I curled up in my new home, using my backpack as a pillow.

This would be my new home, for now at least.


	3. A Meeting

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So..I wrote this..then accidentally deleted this, so..AUGH

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><p>My first week in the truffula valley forest sucked.<p>

I had unfortunately gotten sick from my latest stay at Mount Crumpit, and spent the week sleeping it off in my home. A whole week of sneezing and coughing my lungs out while Pip, Pop and the other critters came and brought me truffula fruits and other little odds and ends that were supposed to make me feel better.

At the end of the week, I was getting better. I was still a little shaky on my feet, but I had my voice back and could breath without wheezing.

"Woah, we're gonna be there soon, I'm sure! It's like..woah.."

I groaned, hearing a strange voice from somewhere atop a nearby hill. I rose to sitting position, rubbing my arms that had the pattern of grass pressed into my skin. Shaking myself awake, I poked my head out of my little home, catching an eyeful of the voice.

A boy around my age stood in the valley, the wheel tracks and the wagon behind him proved that he had traveled down one of the many hills that surrounded the valley. The wagon was covered, like the ones used to explore the old west back in history, and was pulled by a single, long eared mule.

"This is..the most beautiful place..okay..that I've ever seen.." My attention was directed back to the boy, who was clutching a guitar and tearing up. He sniffled a little bit, his button nose crinkling up. The boy was horrendously, horrifically tall, and disgustingly rail thin. He had long arms and legs, and slightly wavy black hair that was smushed under a blue-grey fedora.

He was only about 15 yards away from my home, and I have no clue how he didn't see me. His baby blue orbs scanned the valley in wonder, and suddenly, he started singing and prancing away.

_Where the hell is he going_?

Huffing, I managed to get myself standing and shoved myself out into the world. My feet were still a little useless, but I was able to hobble around decently. I stumbled over to the grey and white mule, who looked at me boredly with big brown eyes. I reached out slowly, scratching him behind one of his giant ears.

"Hey there buddy. Did you haul that guy all the way here from wherever the hell he came from?" I asked softly, feeling particles of sand fall from the mules coat. Wherever this guy had been, it had been far off. The closest beach or desert around here was the Sneetch Beach, or the Fuflious Deserts, and those were each over 400 miles away.

The mule bayed, rolling his eyes and looking in the direction of which the boy came from. I patted his head once more before quickly making my way towards what I kept thinking was...music. Yes! I could hear that boy singing and playing his guitar now as I closed in on him.

_"Humming Fish, I love your hums, I've got a feeling we'll be chums. This pond is perfect! There's no doubt. Excuse me while I **rip these out**!" _

I found that giant just as he pulled a handful of water lilies from one of the humming fishes' ponds. I gasped, watching as muck and sediment that was held to the bottom of the pond by the water lilies' roots rose to the surface. The humming fish quickly jumped from the water, coughing out mud and sediment. The tall boy sighed sadly down at the lilies, before tossing them back to the ground.

_"Na, na, na na na na.."_ He went along his merry way, the barbaloots and the swomee swans following behind him and singing along. The humming fish refused to follow, some of them helping their fishy friends from the contaminated pond, the others glaring holes into the back of the guy's head.

Limping towards the murky pond, I helped scoop two more fish out of the water. The fish were coughing and wheezing, I'm still a little amazed that they can breath in the air and underwater.

"Don't you worry guys..the sediment will settle back down overnight. Let's just get you guys in the river." I said, picking up an armful of fish and gingerly placing them in the crisp river water. They hummed their thanks, somersaulting through the water to clean themselves. I clapped my hands to rid them of the residual sediment, and began to march off towards the sounds of that man's singing.

_"Swomee-Swans, you fly so high!"_

Oh great, that lunatic is going after the poor swomee swans.

"Everywhere I look, you fill the sky. I love your graceful neck, and your noble breast!" I followed the voice, and was able to hobble out of some brush to see the tall boy singing to a flock of nesting swomee swan hens, each keeping their egg warm.

"-but the thing that I love best, just might be your nest..." He sang, batting his long lashes at one of the swans, wrapping his long fingers around the edge of her nest.

"Thank you!" He said, yanking the nest out from underneath the swan. She squawked, falling to the ground and cried as she watched her egg tumble through the air. That long legged ass started pulling apart her nest, apparently searching the nest for raw materials. I yelped, pushing my straining muscles forward and diving to the ground. The egg miraculously fell into my arms, saved from becoming scrambled egg yolk in the grass.

The humming fish and other swomee swans crowded around, softly cooing as the mother swan cried in hurt and joy, wrapping her wings around both her egg and I. I sighed, gently scooting towards a nearby bush and began fluffing up the ferns.

"There." I cooed, nestling the egg into the patch job of a nest. "This should keep the little one safe and warm until you and I can rebuild that nest, huh. It will take half the time with both of us working." I smiled, patting the swan's long neck. She honked, happily sitting back down on her egg.

The sound of high pitched singing broke all of us out of our somewhat peaceful daze. The humming fish and the swomee swans snarled, their gaze set towards the sound of singing. The group of animals began marching towards the sound, and they were the best ones to follow, having better hearing and all that.

"Shit..." I groaned, watching the giant still dancing around with the barbaloots.

_"Hey there, Barbaloot! You look so cute in your Barbaloot suit."_ He sang, dancing around the group of tiny bears. He picked one up, nuzzling the creature to his cheek.

_"Your fur's so soft, hey you know what?"_ He asked, nonchalantly reaching into his back pack and pulling out a cordless shaver. I yelped, pressing myself to push forward, despise the ache in my muscles and the stinging sensations in my elbows and knees. I looked down quickly to see that they were indeed bleeding, most likely from diving to save that egg.

_"I'm gonna shave a little bit off your Barbaloot butt!"_ He sang, the bzzzz of his razor singing as he shaved a long strip of fur off the horrified barbaloot. He unceremoniously dropped the bear, who began patting his bare behind. The bear's friends crowded around, sniffing the bear to make sure he wasn't harmed.

"Hey! Listen here asshole!" I shouted, ignoring the pain in my body and stampeding forwards. The dancing moron had somehow made us dance around in a circle, since my little home was coming back into view. The tall boy stopped in front of my home, and inspected the roof made out of truffula tufts. He was just tall enough to be eye-level with the roof, and he happily sang as he ripped a huge hole out of my roof.

He played with the material of my roof before nodding, and facing the trees. He shoved the bit of my ceiling in his pocket.

_"Oh everybody now! Na, na, na na na na!"_ The massive boy started singing, strumming on his guitar. All the animals circled him, their arms, wings and fins crossed over their chests angrily. Slowly, he stopped playing his guitar and laughed nervously at the animals all around him.

"Eheh, guys? C'mon, where's my back-up chorus? It's not happening? It's not happening. You guys don't feel like singing..." He mumbled, scratching the back of his neck. I shot my home a small, forlorn look before angrily stomping up to the tall boy.

"Hey bub, whadd'ya think you're doing?" I shouted, hoping that I would intimidate him.

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><p>Once-ler's POV:<p>

"Hey bub, whadd'ya think you're doing?"

I turned away from the fuming animals to see a small girl. She looked to be only a few years younger than myself, and she looked absolutely livid. Her hair was long, down to her waist and was pale golden yellow. Her eyes were scary, a mismatched pair of fiery orbs. One eye was sky blue, the other the same shade of pink as the truffula tree tufts. She was at least a foot and a half shorter than I, but that didn't stop her from being intimidating.

She got right up in my face, her tanned skin practically glistening in the afternoon sun. I could see the freckles that dotted above her brows, and the scars that were on her collar bones. She had a rosiness to her cheeks that told me she was just getting over being sick, and she looked restless.

"What the hell are you doing! You're utterly destroying the ecosystem! Those humming fish need those plants, those plants retain heat from the sun during the day, and the humming fish sleep under them at night for warmth! The swomee swans need their nests for their babies and for somewhere to live! Because this is a valley, it's cold during the night, and the barbaloots need their fur!" She began to rant, poking me in the chest.

"Are you even listening to me?" She shouted, her eyes blazing.

"I-I..I-I'm Oncie. I..I uhh...I..Me and..donkey.." I stumbled pathetically over my own words, and cringed inwardly when she rolled her eyes.

"You also pulled part of the roof off my home!" She pointed to the small hut that I'd pulled the truffula tuft off of. She quickly snatched the tuft out of my pocket, practically snarling at me.

"T-that's your house? I-I thought it was a dog house!" I tried to defend myself, but realized I'd said something wrong when her cheeks slowly turned purple.

"MY HOME IS A DOG HOUSE?" She screeched, which apparently was a signal for all the animals to rush at me. I screamed, spinning around and racing away. I could hear the animals gaining ground on me, but I could barley care.

I just met the most beautiful women I've ever seen.


	4. A Tree

*I have somehow..come in contact with the script and lines for the movie (: So now the dialog will be much more accurate, but I'll be tweaking the story in some places to make this story flow and whatnot. (:

Thank you to my lovely reviewers: PhoenixAshr4, Nausicaa of the Spirits, ZombiesForNarnia, halloween princess, Secrettheshadow, CIF-lover, missingthepoint, Silenthilllz, Gabbi and Clothes Hamper

And also the always wonderful and gorgeous: Giai Kame

Sorry it's taken so long! I'm perfectly sure that I have ADHD! I loose focus so quickly!

(: Read and Review

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><p>I yawned, leaning up against my little home and watching the forest creatures chase around Once-ler. They'd been at it for about ten minutes now, and I must say it was an interesting show. The poor, tall boy was screaming nonsense and actually tried to climb one of the limbless truffula trees. I couldn't help but feel a little bad for him. I'm all for him getting what he deserves for tormenting the poor critters, but no one deserves to get mauled by angry animals.<p>

Sighing, I stood up from my leaning spot against the tree and dusted my palms off on my jeans. I cupped my dusty hands to my mouth, and took a deep breath.

"YA'LL! 'S TIME TO COME IN!" I shouted, cursing the slight drawl. Most of the animals stopped their chase and came back over slowly.

"I think we scared him enough, see, he's already back in his wagon." I said softly to the irritated animals. "Besides, you don't want to hurt anyone guys!" The animals sighed, before taking a collective deep breath and nodding. I cracked my back, and noticed that we were lacking two barbaloots.

"Hey..have any of you seen Pip and Pop?" I asked the other barbaloots, who shook their furry heads and started looking around for their missing friends. A joyous squeak practically broke my eardrums as Pip and Pop reappeared at my feet, each of them carrying a bag of extra large marshmallows. Pip had one cutely sticking out of his mouth, and Pop was shoving as many white puffs into his mouth as he could.

"Marshmallows..where did you guys get those?" I asked, sitting down and watching my two friends pass out their snacks to all the other animals. They must have fallen out of that Once-ler's wagon as he drove off. I happily took one of the small treats, and slowly began to nibble on it.

"So..does your acceptance of my marshmallow that mean that you'll forgive me?"

Yelping, I dropped my marshmallow on the ground. I spun around on my behind, and looked straight up into the air to see Once-ler. The tall boy was standing there, his hat askew on his head and a dark colored guitar in his arms.

"You..you're still here?" I asked, watching a baby swomee-swan snatch my dropped marshmallow.

"Yes m'lady." He said, slumping down on the ground next to me and began playing some soft, nameless notes on his guitar. He wasn't stuttering like before, I'm pretty sure he's trying to play it suave. He seemed..nervous, he adjusted the neck of his collar and his strumming seemed to be more anxious twitching than trying to impress me with some musical talent.

"As I said before, I'm The Once-ler." He said.

"The? As in "The" is your first name. You said your name was 'Oncie'." I asked, probably coming out a lot bitchier than I meant to.

"N-no...Once-ler's my first name..but uh..everyone calls me The Once-ler." He blushed a little bit, tugging on his guitar strings. I guessed that 'Oncie' was an old nickname that he'd let slip out on his nerves, so I'd let it slide.

"Well...My real name is Airmid..but I go by my middle name..Letitia..Or just Let." I was still trying to be a little stone-cold, after all he did mess with all those poor animals and my home. Once-ler smiled, his fingers still ghosting over the strings of his guitar.

"Do you ever stop playing that?" I asked, nodding my head towards the black and white guitar. The instrument was old, and probably bought from one of those second hand stores, but I could tell how much love had gone into repairing it. There were some chips in the paint, a few cracks in the wood, and some of the strings were too long, but that guitar was obviously Once-ler's most prized possession.

"I-I guess...not often..mostly when I eat and sleep." He said shyly, tinkering with the taut strings.

"Aha." I hummed, rocking back on my heels. "So..you're looking for raw materials to make something...musical?" I asked, and he finally took his hands away from the instrument.

"No, it's not only musical!" Once-ler shouted, throwing his hands into the air. "My invention, the Thneed!" He said, turning to his back pack and rummaging around inside. He yanked out some old, wrinkled blue prints and happily spread them in front of me.

"It's a thing that everyone needs, and it can _be_ anything anyone needs!" He said in a strange, infomercial type voice. "It's a scarf, it's an umbrella, it's a bag. It's a cape!" He shouted, smiling to large I thought his face would break in half. I had no clue how someone could make something that could be all those things, but Once-ler looked so happy, I couldn't voice my question.

"So that's why you went ripping apart this forest?" I asked, pushing my hair away from my face. Once-ler cringed a little, but nodded. I hummed, tapping my fingers against the ground.

"Is this your forest?" Once-ler asked, fingers tapping almost soundlessly against the strings. I shook my head.

"No, I'm this forest's human. How long have you been traveling for, your mule looks tired." I said, sparing a glance to the mule who was laying down, happily chewing on some long grass.

"Longer than we can remember." Once-ler sighed, leaning against his wagon's wheel. I saw one of those fancy living tents poking out of the back of the wagon, and I supposed that he'd be shaking up in the woods for awhile. I wasn't too wild about the idea, but the sight of that poor, tired mule made me feel pity for the exhausted travelers.

"Let's get you set up then." I sighed, hoisting myself to stand and going over to his wagon. Once-ler scrambled after me, his long legs wobbling like a baby giraffe's. I tugged the tent roll out of the wagon and dragged it over to a level piece of ground. I lent the large roll against one of the truffula trees and began kicking rocks away from a part of the grass.

"What are you doing?" Once-ler asked, watching as I toed rocks away from where I planned on setting up his tent.

"Making sure there's no rocks in the way for when your tent is set up. Get the beams, would you?" I asked, plunking away the final stone and grabbing the ground pikes that would hold the plastic and mesh covering the tent down against the wind.

"S-so I can stay?" Once-ler asked, leaning against the tree.

"It's not my valley. Just..don't try to hurt nature too badly? I mean, I know there's the circle of life and everything has to die, but please don't try to dwindle the life expectancy of anything around us." I said, watching him drive the wooden posts into the ground. We each took a side of the fabric tent covering, and threw it over the wooden posts, and then did the same with the mesh and plastic outer layers.

I sat down on the ground again, watching Once-ler lug furniture out of his wagon like it was a clown car. A bed, a fridge, a dresser, a stove, a book shelf.

Damn, what didn't this guy have?

"Do you have a kitchen sink..?" I tried to make a joke, but as Once-ler dragged out a large, metal sink. I laughed awkwardly, leaning back into the grass. The tent looked very nice, very sophisticated.

"So..what are you doing living all the way out here?" Once-ler asked as he took a break from unpacking his wagon.

"You know..just got tired of city living. I wanted to be alone..be closer to nature." I shrugged, running my fingers through the soft grass.

"That's understandable. Do you..have a job?" Once-ler asked.

"Not currently. But I was a baker." I said, watching Once-ler nod his head.

"You must have a hard time not eating all those baked goods." He said, eyeing a bag of marshmallows.

"I actually don't eat alot of baked goods..I don't really like the texture of cookies or brownies or cupcakes or cake." I shrugged, taking a deep breath of fresh air. Once-ler laughed, a large smile splitting his face and making his shoulders shake.

"That must make it easier not to eat your product." He laughed.

"I suppose. Once-ler, I'll be going swimming. You gonna come?" I asked, watching Once-ler shake his head.

"I have some more unpacking. Have fun though...Please..call me Once." Once-ler said, smiling down at me. I turned around, dead set on having a bath in the lake. Once-ler cleared this throat and called my name, making me turn around and stare.

"Let..I'll respect nature as best as I can."

"That's all I ask, Once." I smiled back at the tall young man, turning back to head towards the lake. Even though he came here on the wrong foot, but he seemed like a pretty nice dude. I threw my hair back into a bun, yanked my hoodie over my head and walked towards a completely vacant lake.

Stripping, I left my clothes on shore and stepped into the crisp waters. I groaned, dropping further into the water and letting it roll over me. I hope Once doesn't screw me over with his destructive behavior. Sighing, I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

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><p>The next week with Once in the forest wasn't so bad, he kept to himself mostly. I could hear him strumming away on his guitar most of the time, but other than that, he didn't make much noise. My house had been patched back to its former glory, and Once seemed to be falling into the swing of the forest. His footprint in the forest was minimal, only his tent, his drying clothes, and mule were the only physical signs he was around.<p>

"Hey, Lettie!" Once-ler called, waving his arms at me as I walked past his tent. I was carrying a basket of truffula fruit, which had become perfectly ripe over the past few nights.

"Good morning, Once." I laughed, seeing the lanky man trip over his own two legs. The long legged musician seemed embarrassed of his tripping, and adjusted his hat nervously. I sat down in the grass by his tent, patting the spot next to me. Once slung his guitar off his back and set it on the ground beside him.

"Picking…plumbs?" Once asked, peering at my basket.

"Truffula fruits, but they taste like a mix of plums and cherries." I answered, handing over one of the palmed sized fruits. Once seemed apprehensive of the fruits, but took a bite and seemed to enjoy it.

"What are you usin' them for? Baking? Cookies?" Once asked, licking the dark juice off his fingers.

"I'm making jam." I shrugged, juggling a few of the smaller fruits. "How's your ah….Thneed thing going?" I asked, watching as the blue eyed man lit up with joy.

"It's going great. I'm still looking for a raw material, but it'll come in time." Once sighed, shrugging his shoulders and began to strum.

"If you'd want some help, we can go out and look in the valley for raw materials." I offered, making Once jump in joy.

"Oh! Would you? Would you really?!" Once seemed overly excited by my offer. His blue orbs were sparkling in joy, and I couldn't stop myself from smiling.

"Of course, let me go but these fruits away." I said, picking up my basket of truffula fruits.

* * *

><p>To this very day I wish that I hadn't left Once-ler alone that moment. I should have asked him to walk with me to my home, or even asked him to head back to his tent.<p>

For when I came back, Once-ler was standing beside a chopped down tree with a long handled axe in his hand.


End file.
